1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to ultrasonic sensor assemblies, and more particularly, to an ultrasonic sensor assembly for inspecting and monitoring at least one characteristic of a pipe.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Ultrasonic sensor assemblies are known and used in many different applications. Ultrasonic sensor assemblies are used, for example, to monitor/inspect a test object and to detect/identify at least one characteristic of the test object, such as corrosion, defects, thickness, etc. In pipeline corrosion monitoring applications, the test object can include a pipe section. In such an example, one or more ultrasonic sensor assemblies are wrapped around an outer surface of the pipe during inspection.
It has been difficult to simultaneously detect the presence/absence, location, and size of the characteristic. Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide an ultrasonic sensor assembly that simultaneously detects the presence, location and size of characteristics in the pipe.